(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to commercial kitchen systems and, more particularly, to an apparatus for draining at least one sink. The apparatus includes a commercial kitchen sink having a drain; a trough below the sink for transporting effluent, the trough positioned such that there is an air gap between it and drain; a plurality of selectively positionable markers on the trough; and removable solids strainers configured to be positioned at a marker to locate the strainer below a drain.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In order to maintain sanitary conditions, plumbing and health code regulations require device drains to be individually drained with a flow passing through a minimum air space to preclude potential cross-contamination caused by fluids migrating upstream due to a downstream blockage. Traditional air-gap connection methods have commonly used a pipe-and-cup arrangement. Effluent flows through a drain, passes through a mandated air-gap into a cup, and then passes through a pipe to a remote location. This conventional set-up requires an adequate vertical distance to be available. However, in many modern commercial kitchens, devices discharge low to the floor and preclude such a pipe-and-cup design, particularly if other equipment needs to be installed under the sink downstream of the drain.
A particular item of equipment that may need to be installed downstream of the drain is the Big Dipper® grease separator sold by Thermaco, Inc. of Asheboro, N.C. Grease separators remove oil and grease from kitchen sink effluent so that the remaining effluent is easier to process and clogging of pipes is reduced, in compliance with many sewage district codes. The oil/grease separators have tanks with quiescent zones to permit the oil and grease to float on top of the water and be susceptible to removal.
When using these and other grease separators, it may be desirable to remove solids from the effluent flow prior to flow into the separator. One method of removing solids includes placing a strainer in the effluent flow below the sink drain. However, to effectively remove solids from the flow, the strainer must be placed such that the effluent stream including the solids passes through the strainer. Therefore, an inexpensive device for eliminating activities such as determining where the strainer should be placed along a trough and monitoring the strainer to determine whether it is indeed aligned with effluent flow from an outlet of a sink drain may increase the operating efficiency of such kitchens. There remains, therefore, a need in the art for an apparatus for draining at least one kitchen sink that provides a trough below the sink for transporting effluent, the trough positioned such that there is an air gap between it and the drain; and a plurality of selectively positionable markers on the trough to guide strainer placement.